Three Great Valley School Board available, one uncontested

Citizens hoping to hear all seven Great Valley School Board candidates discuss the issues last week’s Chester County League of Women Voters debate didn’t exactly get what they were looking for.

Incumbents Dave Barratt, Pat Gillespie and Andrew Daga were on hand. Challengers Lani Carrow and Richard McSweeney had professional commitments and couldn’t make it, while Charles Lyddane said he decided against being the only challenger on stage with three incumbents, two of which he isn’t running against. Incumbent Ted Leisenring chose not to attend, since he is running unopposed.

In Region 1, the seats held by Barratt and Gillespie are being sought by Carrow and McSweeney.

Barratt, the current school board president and a senior manager at Tyco International, said he originally ran four years ago on full transparency, increasing actual debate on the board and applying his professional experience to the job.

Barratt (cross-filed as Republican and Democrat), who attended Wednesday’s debate after his son’s birthday dinner, said the forthcoming negotiations with teachers on a new contract are critical to the district, and that he is up to the job.

“I think I’m in a good spot because I understand them, I think they have a lot of respect for me and they know where I stand,” Barratt said. “I think that will help.”

Gillespie (R/D), retired after 28 years with GlaxoSmithKline and has been part of 10 different education-based groups or boards. She said public education has and will always be a part of her life.

“I believe in it, and that if we do it right, we will have a great impact on the world,” Gillespie said. “I just like being part of it, whether it was with my own children, PTOs, special needs or gifted. I like being part of the process and contributing to it.”

Carrow (R/D), a psychology and sociology professor with the University of Phoenix, said she is running as a way of giving back to the community. Although she said the district’s recent slide in academic rankings has to be addressed, she was complimentary of the school board’s efforts.

“They’ve been doing it well, but it’s always good to have new people come in and take a look at things,” Carrow said. “I am concerned that there isn’t enough concern with academics in where the district stands compared to the rest of the area and state.”

McSweeney (R/D), who runs an information technology consulting business, said he is running to give back to the community, to insure the quality of the district’s education for current and future students and to keep Great Valley a desirable location for potential residents. He said he is not pleased with some of the board’s decision-making.

“I don’t feel the incumbents up for election have what it takes to lead us into the future,” McSweeney said. “They are voting to take the maximum tax increase, increasing activity fees and cutting programs while running up a huge surplus. Our community cannot sustain this type of mismanagement that penalizes our families and students.”

Daga (R/D), founder and CEO of Malvern-based Momentum Dynamics and the current seat holder in Region 2, said he is not a single-issue candidate and doesn’t think along party lines.

“I am an independent thinker, and I think you need to be that and a multidisciplinary thinker to be creative in finding solutions to the problems that face the district,” Daga said. “One has to work within the system but still be imaginative in finding those solutions, where they aren’t always obvious.”

Lyddane (R/D), a former vice president of at Merrill Lynch and currently a real estate development and investment partner, is running for Daga’s seat. Lyddane said his ¬he can help the district put its money in the right places.

“I have a lot of financial expertise, and I care about the kids in the district, education and the way money is spent,” Lyddane said. “If you’re careful with money, you can save it, reallocate it and raise the standing of the district. We should be getting more for our money.”

Liesenring, running only as a Republican, was appointed to the board at the beginning of the school year in 2010, to fill out the term of Sally Cummings, who died unexpectedly that summer. While he applauds the district’s level of education and performance of its students, he does not like how the board has gone about some of its business recently.

“I didn’t vote for it, but this board has voted to raise taxes to the max the last two years, and each year we’ve run surpluses,” said Leisenring, who will run unopposed in Region 3. “I don’t think it is right for us to do that.”